Health Information on the Web
When you have a question about your health, it's always best to ask your doctor or another qualified professional. However, the Internet can be a useful tool if you want to do some extra research or find quick facts.
Because of the huge amount of information on the Internet, finding answers isn't always easy. And because anyone can publish anything they like, it's not always obvious if you can believe what you read.
It's important, then, to make sure that any information you find can be easily understood and trusted. Think about the following statements to help you evaluate websites and better understand how the Internet is organised.
What is the purpose of the website?
- Does the website:
- Inform and give facts?
- Sell something?
- Try to persuade you to a particular point of view?
A good website will tell you who it is for, what it is about and what it is trying to do. There's usually an About section on each website, accessible from the homepage.
Who produced the website?
Be aware of who has produced the website. Think about this: Who would you trust to give you impartial advice on treating a migraine - The NHS or a company who makes headache remedies?
Trustworthy sites usually give their contact details, but to get an idea of who produced the information you can also look at the website URL i.e. the website address.
The website address for My Health includes .gov.uk. This means it's a government-owned site.
You'll also find websites whose URL end like this:
- .org - usually recognised, non-profit making organisations, for example Macmillan Cancer and Enable.
- .edu - educational site.
- .ac - academic site, a college or a university.
- .co.uk or .com this means that the site is usually produced by a commercial company. However this is also often used by organisations like the BBC and the NHS because it's easier to remember.
Which country is the website from?
You can often tell from which country the information comes by looking at the last letters in the URL. For example:
- .com - refers to commercial USA sites, but many similar sites in the UK also end like this.
- .au - Australia
- .ca - Canada.
There's often good information to be found in websites from other countries, but bear in mind that there may be differences in that country's legal and medical systems, so the information may not always apply to the UK.
Is the information up-to-date?
The medical world changes constantly, so it's important to know that what you're reading was published recently and not 5 years ago!
Check the date the website was created or updated. This is usually at the bottom of the page. Alternatively you can click on File in the top left hand of your screen and then on Properties.
Is the website aimed at me?
Is it easy to understand the website? If it uses a lot of medical terminology, it may be aimed at professional people like doctors who already have knowledge of the subject.
